THE TRUE ART OF MEMORY IS THE ART OF ATTENTION

Memory plays a vital role in life. In order to recall information, all the data that one obtains throughout his life gets stored in his memory. In order to replay a scene in the past the person has experienced, his mind plays the scene over and over again. One can only recall a moment when he has paid enough attention. Like the intense moments in his life, where fear or sadness or even great happiness were triggered all remain in his memory.

As Jaggi Vasudev said:

“If you are wired to your memory, repetitions will happen and redundancy will come; but if you are paying attention, that changes your ability to look at things.”

Reminders of the Past and the Present:

In the past there were no pens or paper and thus nothing they learned could be written down. In those times people used to pay extra attention to what was being told to them thus their memory was strong. They remembered because they focused. But sadly nowadays, this art of paying attention has reduced to a great degree. As the lives of man started getting busier by the minute, he has to take in several stimulus at the same time, thus he is not able to pay much attention to what is being told to him.

Contemporary Example:

Many people forget important meetings, anniversaries etc., so they mark them down on their calendar in order to remember them. They have trouble recalling the things being told to them so they either write them down or record them. It has been a really tough job for them to pay attention and somehow it seems that the world has become too noisy. They feel as though they can’t give it their all. Even though they understand what they are being told, but they eventually forget as time passes by. And thus they need some sort of reminder to give help them recall what they have to do. Automated solutions are not always bad but people are becoming dependent on them more than enough.

It is as Tom Walsh had said:

“The world is in sore need of good listeners. And in our own lives, it’s amazing to recognize just how valuable listening can be for us. How many mistakes have you made because you didn’t listen well? Personally, I’ve made many—and I’ve missed out on some wonderful opportunities because I was more interested in sharing what I had to say than I was in listening to what someone else had to say.”

External Pressure's Effect:

It is due to the extreme pressure of the external surroundings that prevent man from progressing more rapidly than he already can. He has a hard time paying attention because the surrounding have much interference, if his boss talks to him about something then he would be busy wondering when the next lunch break would be, thus causing him to procrastinate and eventually forget what he was being told in the first place. This becomes a serious issue for him later on.

End Note:

In the end, the modern man needs to pay more attention to the things around him. He is so lost in his own thoughts that it becomes difficult for him to focus on the tasks at hand. This case of memory problems even leads to serious problems in the future. One should try to pay more attention to the things around him by calming himself first. For it may not be as hard as he believes it to be. Having a good memory can be an incredible asset to a person. Spending some alone time in daily routine can ease up this process of improvising memory.

As John Kabat-Zinn had written in his book ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life':

“Mindfulness has to do with waking up and living in harmony with oneself and with the world. It is examining who we are, constantly questioning our views of the world and our place in it, while cultivating appreciation for the fullness of each moment we are alive. It is the direct opposite of taking life for granted. It is empowering as well, because paying attention in this way opens channels to deep reservoirs of creativity, intelligence, imagination, clarity, determination, choice, and wisdom within us.”

Title Quote Credit : Samuel Johnson